Signing this kind of trade agreement with the E.U. generally requires compliance with certain human rights conditions, such as removing laws that discriminate against LGBTQ people. However, Sri Lankan LGBTQ activists are concerned that the E.U. has waived this requirement following objections by the Sri Lankan government. �

All Out published a petition from activist Rosanna Flamer-Caldera calling on the European Parliament, which is debating the issue, to insist that Sri Lanka scrap anti-LGBTQ laws before the trade deal is signed. Flamer-Caldera is the head of Sri Lanka’s pioneering LGBTQ rights organization, Equal Ground, which she founded in 2004. In 2016, she participated in HRC’s inaugural Global Innovative Advocacy Summit, which brought together 26 established and emerging advocates for the exchange of ideas and practices for advancing LGBTQ equality. �